CD Reviews

Musical Comedy at it's Finest...

Jonathan Basler | Traverse City, MI | 09/01/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I heard the "Leading Ladies Medley" through an online show tunes station and wondered what it could be. I came to trusty ol' Amazon.com and of course they had this album. I ordered it immediatly and have never been so happy with a purchase. I have since ordered copies for a few friends and have recomended it to many others.

George Dvorsky has a voice that could melt the polar ice caps, and Ron Raines truly is a leading man among men!

This album is great music, fenominal voices and light-hearted comedy all wrapped up into one.

Musical theater lovers will cherrish this album, but I would recomend it to anyone."

WHERE IS THE SEQUEL?

Spencer | New York, NY | 12/15/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"THIS IS SUCH A GREAT CD!!! IT IS LOADED WITH FUN, ENERGY, COMEDY AND LOTS OF TALENT. EVERY SINGER ON THIS CD IS A STANDOUT WHO STEALS THE SHOW IN HIS OWN WAY. I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY WERE ABLE TO ORGANIZE THE TALENT TO DO THIS RECORDING, BUT I DO KNOW THAT I AM SURELY WAITING FOR "LEADING MEN 2". IF YOU LIKE BROADWAY STANDARDS SUNG THEY WAY THEY SHOULD BE, IF YOU LIKE TALENTED, LEGIT TRAINED VOICES AND WIT ALL IN THE SAME PACKAGE, YOU COULD NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY BETTER THAN ON THIS CD."

Leading Men...

Angel | Virginia | 03/29/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I received this CD as a gift when my best friend looked for all CDs featuring Ron Raines...this is easily one of my all-time favorites! The music selected is great and the voices are fabulous! My very favorite is the tribute to leading ladies...the CD is hysterical! Ron Raines is one of the best musical theatre guys that we have! A must have CD for any musical theatre lover!"

Excellent

Tracey L. Smeltzer | New Derry, PA | 11/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I purchased this CD because Ron Raines is one of the artists performing in the review. It is absolutely fabulous and entertaining. Ron's rich baritone voice stands out above all the rest, but the others are pretty darn good too."

"" . . . the natural progression of things for the musical leading man was as follows: You start out doing "Rolf" in THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Then you do "Matt" in THE FANTASTICKS. Then, oh, "Curly" in OKLAHOMA . . . Billy Bigelow. Then you would make the graceful transition from "Lancelot" to "King Arthur;" from "Lt. Cable" to "Emile De Beque." And then, hopefully, the definitive performance of "Don Quixote de La Mancha." (Richard Muenz's introduction to "Stranger in Paradise")

Even as these five wonderful singers - Mr. Muenz, George Dvorsky, Scott Holmes and, especially, Byron Nease & Ron Raines - poke fun at themselves and at the roles actors blessed with "legitimate" voices are doomed to repeat in revival after revival after revival, they do some glorious singing, whether alone ("They Call the Wind Maria" from PAINT YOUR WAGON/Bryon; "Where Is the Life That Late I Led" from KISS ME, KATE/Ron; "This Nearly Was Mine" from SOUTH PACIFIC/Ron; "Take the Moment" from DO I HEAR A WALTZ?/Byron) or ensemble ("One More Walk around the Garden" from CARMELINA; "Pretty Women" from SWEENEY TODD; "Let Me Be the Music"). Not to mention the hilarious "Sensitive New Age Guys" from A . . . MY NAME IS ALICE, sung by the "leading men" and their guest, Kate Willinger.

It's a pity that hardly anyone is writing musicals for singers with "legitimate" voices anymore. MAN OF LA MANCHA opened on December 22, 1965, and since then precious few shows have been created for singers who don't have to rely on body mics. And I believe the American Musical Theatre is much poorer because of this trend. Therefore, kudos to Maury Yeston (NINE & TITANIC), Stephen Flaherty (RAGTIME), Stephen Sondheim and the handful of other composers who still know how to write for the human, non-amplified voice.

So, until new shows worthy of your voices come around, guys, keep pumping out those glorious revivals . . . and wonderful collections like LEADING MEN DON'T DANCE.

This is a CD you'll play over and over and over again. I guarantee it.